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MM
- Firstly let me congratulate you on the new album ‘Desire and
Truth’.
Erol - Thank you very much and also big thanks for
the review you gave it, much appreciated!
MM
- How long did the album come together?
Erol - It
took over 2 years mainly due to studio availability. We spent a lot of
time mixing due to the fact the studio was often available for a couple
of days, then unavailable for a few weeks etc… I have such a good
working relationship with Jay Solyom who played drums and mixed the
album that I simply didn’t want to use anyone else so I’m glad I
waited!
MM
- When
you started writing the album did you have a vision for the final
product or did it just evolve along the way?
Erol - I
kind of had a vision in that I knew I wanted to do a heavy melodic album
in the vein of the great British bands from the late 70s early 80s such
as MSG, UFO, Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake etc… I think this is an era of
music often overlooked which inspired me personally so much as a
musician and writer.
MM
- How do you compare this album to the first Sora album?
Erol -
In my opinion, I think it’s
heavier, more guitar oriented, a bit darker but still very melodic and
song oriented which to me is always the most important thing.
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MM
- You’ve been in this business for some time now, what to you have
been the major changes over recent years that have improved things for
musicians and what have been the downfalls?
Erol - I’d
say modern technology allowing people to record albums for very cheap is
an advantage as many people simply can’t afford an expensive studio at
a few hundred dollars/pounds
per hour. But then again, this has also allowed the market to get
flooded as almost anyone can put an album out these days regardless
whether it’s good or bad and it’s very hard to get noticed if
you’re a new artist in this day and age.
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MM
- How did you get involved with Avenue Of Allies?
Erol - I
sent in a copy of my CD to Gregor Klee, the Label Manager. Luckily he
was familiar with my previous album and liked it! He is such a great
enthusiastic/honest person and it’s a real pleasure to deal with him.
He really gets behind his releases and works so hard for his artists
which is the reason I went with Avenue Of Allies.
MM
- How have the media as a whole reacted to the new album?
Erol
- The response has been overwhelming. It was released a month prior in
Japan on the label Marquee/Avalon who are also a great group of people
and I was so pleased the album received an 86/100 review in the magazine
Burrn! which really meant a lot to me. Now more and more reviews and
interview requests are coming in throughout Europe and I couldn’t be
more pleased with the interest and response.
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MM
- This the second Sora album, but at what point did you decide to put
your own name to a band, rather than be in someone else’s band?
Erol - After the John Lawton Band took a break, I decided I wanted
to give it a shot at releasing my own album as I had so many songs
building up in me over the years that I simply had to get out. Also I
played a demo for a few people/friends and they really encouraged me to
record the songs properly which resulted in the first SORA album
'Demented Honour'.
MM
- What artist freedom does this afford you?
Erol - By
writing the songs myself, it has given me the freedom to express myself
in the exact manner I wish and in a completely honest fashion. This
means a lot to me as songwriting is such a personal thing. It’s so
rewarding if you write something that may move or inspire someone as so
many songs did to me. Having
said that, I love collaborating with people too and hope to get involved
in various other projects in the future.
MM
- You’re obviously influenced by the guitar greats, but if you could
play with any of them who would you choose and why?
Erol -
That’s tough one. I would love to
be able to play on stage with Ritchie Blackmore and trade of some
melodic licks and equally would be great to share the stage with someone
like John Sykes and trade of some very aggressive type licks/runs.
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MM
- One of the songs on the new album was influence by your days in L.A.,
what was it like being around that scene then and do you miss those
hedonistic Sunset Strip days?
Erol - I
loved LA and still go there quite a bit. In the 80s, I think I was very
much the outsider looking in as I never really indulged too much in the
crazy Rock & Roll lifestyle though knew many that did. That’s what
the song Rock & Roll Dog is about as it’s very observational.
I’m still in regular contact with many good friends in LA so I was
really fortunate to have made some very genuine longstanding
relationships while living there. The
same thing with London, I made so many good friends while living there
and really miss it!
MM
- Which magical musical moment motivated you to start playing guitar and
how old were you at the time?
Erol
-
I saw KISS on
TV in 1976; The Paul Lynde Halloween Special and it changed my life! The
minute I heard the sound of their electric guitars I knew that’s all I
wanted to do. To this day, I can’t describe the feeling I had when I
first heard a proper electric guitar, it literally blew my mind and I
could feel it though my whole body.
I blame KISS for everything!
MM
- Can
you remember the first time you played in front of a live audience and
how it felt to have people actually listen to your playing?
Erol
- It
was in LA at a backyard party. I had joined a band at the time and was
too scared to tell them I had never been on stage before so I guess
playing a backyard party was a good way to start!
Even doing a small event such as that, it was really cool to have
people come up afterwards and say they enjoyed the playing. I think
it’s a humbling, great feeling no matter what size of the gig.
MM
- For
all our musicians out there, what can you tell us about your very first
guitar?
Erol - It
was a 15 dollar used guitar I bought off my schoolmate that had a branch
as the bridge! It was a tough way to learn but I’m glad I did as it
made me appreciate getting a good guitar years later all the more!
MM
- Following
on from that, what can you tell us about the guitar(s) you play now?
Erol
- On
the album I used a 69 reissue Fender Custom Shop Strat. I’m really
happy with the tone on the album as you can tell it’s a Strat on the
solos but the rhythm is still a very heavy thick sound. I also play a
Les Paul and and SG live. I love all the classic guitars, Strats, Les
Pauls, SGs, Flying Vs and Explorers!
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MM
- What
do you feel has been your biggest accomplishment as an artist to date?
Erol - I have to say getting this new album
released as it took a long time to make, was very hard at certain points
but was a labour of love. I’m also so proud of the time I spent
playing with John Lawton as he is simply one of the best singers in the
world in my opinion and to have recorded songs with him was just an
amazing experience that will stay with me forever.
MM
- Do
you keep in touch with the new bands breaking in the music scene today
and what do you think of the current rock scene?
Erol - I
try to but I find I find I’m constantly revisiting bands from the 70's
that I missed out on when growing up. I miss guitar solos in modern rock
and I’m a sucker for melody. I’m not a huge fan of the
growling/screaming type of singing too much but I’m always keeping my
eye open for modern bands who interpret the classic rock sound in a
refreshing way.
MM
- What
do you have planned for the rest of 2010?
Erol - I’m
rehearsing now with the band a hope to do some SORA shows in Vancouver
very soon. I also want the band to be ready to go overseas at short
notice should the opportunity arise. In addition, I’m constantly
writing and hope to get back in the
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| studio in some capacity in the not
too distant future. Am also keeping my eye open for possible
collaborative projects as I also love being a member of a band too.
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MM
- Finally
is there anything we’ve omitted to ask that you’d like to share with
our readers or any words of wisdom you’d like to share with our
readers?
Erol - I
just want to say thanks so much for the kind words from all the fans and
their words of encouragement which means so much to me. Hard rock fans
are the most loyal in the world and though melodic rock may not be the
most popular genre of music today, it makes it all worthwhile spending
time and money doing an album like this when people appreciate it. Big
thanks to you Linda for taking the time to arrange this interview!
Many cheers!
MM
- We'd like to thank Erol for taking the time out to chat with us today
and wish him every success with the new album. If you're not
familiar with the name Sora then be sure to check them out - www.myspace.com/erolsora
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